Fear no More
by Dehba1
Summary: When Alicia and her family were kidnapped by a stranger with a gang, she wouldn't have imagined how much her life was about to change. [LEXARK / Alicia Clark & Elyza Lex]
1. The Beginning

**Chapter 1**

 _The Beginning  
_

* * *

It was the first light in the morning when the Abigail finally arrived in Mexico.

I've found a nice place to sleep at the deck and was lying there when I heard mom's cries, calling me to pack my belongings and meet everybody to land. So, it was what I did: I got my things packed up and took a final look at what it was "my room". I'm not sure if I'll miss it, though.

Mom met me at the doorframe and stayed quiet for a moment.

 _"We should go now"_ , said her, breaking the silence. And then she took my cold hands in hers. _"Alicia. Let's stay together, all right?"_

Her eyes were full of concern. All of us were concerned, and after all, it's the first time, in so long, that we'll have to manage our lives outside the vessel, which became our home. And it is always hard to leave home to start a new life somewhere else. At least, it was what I thought by the time.

On land, we walked for a while through the pier. It was hot and I felt damp from sweat, so I took off my jacket and tied it up around my waist. Strand and the new guy, Luis, went ahead of us. They seemed to be arguing about not having space for all of us in the house. During this unsettling talk, Daniel walked further to join the discussion.

 _"What are we supposed to be expecting here?"_ , asked him, looking at Strand right in the eyes. His tone had a hint of threatening. We all stopped when we heard him.

Strand stopped as well. He put his hands on his hips and pursed his lips before talking in an inpatient mode.

 _"I am going to try to get all of us inside the house."_

 _"It doesn't look like a plan to me"_ , said Travis, from behind me.

Strand didn't answer right away. It was Nick who spoke, calling our attention:

 _"What's that? Something is coming."_

A minivan appeared on the horizon and brought all the dust of the road. We all had to cover our faces when the car stopped; the dust was all in our bodies and clothes. It was a black minivan, with a big fender and huge wheels. The driver got out and stared at us. The confusion in his face was visible.

 _"Victor, Luis. ¿Quienes son? ¿Qué pasa? Who are these people?"_

 _"Pablo, we have to talk"_ , Strand walked toward the man. _"Change of plans."_

Strand moved closer and began to whisper, making it hard for us to listen. Something happened, though; the guy had opened his door and entered the minivan again.

 _"Come on"_ , said Strand. Luis was the first to enter the minivan. Daniel glared them and then entered too. All I know, I was the last one to enter and had to sit in Ofelia's lap, which was uncomfortable, to say the least. She embraced my stomach and I kept looking outside the window, trying to ignore the growing heat upon my cheeks. It seemed a long time since I've been embraced. I guess that's why it felt weird with Ofelia now.

In another situation, mom and Travis might had fought back and be suspicious of Strand's plans. But now, we were in the middle of nowhere with no one to trust, so we had to stick with the plan and follow Strand.

The landscape wasn't the best. At some point, more buildings appeared and we happened to be in the center of what it looked like a small town. The minivan drove fast until it finally stopped in front of a huge sturdy house – almost a fortress - with an extremely high white wall and holes through its extension. There was a big iron gateway, closed and without any locks. At the ground, thousands and thousands of corpses were lying in the dirt, alluring flies and disgusting bugs through them. A remarkable view of a war scenario.

We got out of the minivan and stood outside the fortress. The smell was awful; I had to cover my nose. We all stayed closer to the car and didn't move at all until Strand called out the fortress owner.

 _"Open it! It's me, Victor!"_

A man appeared at the top of the wall. Beside him, twenty other men appeared handing shotguns and average guns, all pointed to us. My heart started to race at this point.

 _"Victor, you were supposed to come with just one extra person!"_ , the man screamed, from the top of the wall.

 _"Let us enter and talk, please."_

 _"No, Victor. We had a deal! Only YOU and another one. Choose wisely and don't try anything stupid."_

The man – who had a Mexican accent – said it and left. The gate opened with difficulty and Strand begun to walk.

 _"Nicholas, you come with me"_ , he said not looking at anyone.

It all happened too fast. At the very minute Strand turned away, three big cars came by nowhere, spreading dust all over us, stopping in front of the fortress and opening fire against it. Shots were fired from all places; I was pushed to the ground and saw Chris by my side – his right arm bled like hell; I heard mom's scream somewhere and Travis' voice answering her. I lifted my head just a bit and saw two people, wearing black dirty clothes, shooting with their machine guns from behind one of the cars.

 _"Where's Nick?!"_ , I heard mom asking.

I turned my head to see a glimpse of Nick being pushed by Strand through the fortress gateway.

And then, a female voice broke in the middle of the shootings. It was strong and full of power, and I noticed right away she should be foreign, by judging her accent.

 _"Retreat! Now! James, go on, take these ones into the car and let's get the hell out of here!"_

In no time, someone lifted me up with easiness and dragged me to one of the vehicles. I tried to fight against it, but the man was stronger than me. I saw it was a man because of the beard – it was the biggest beard I've ever seen – and he was lifting me up as if I was a simple leaf.

 _"Get off me, you motherfu…"_ , I began to scream and shake until a fist hit me hard in the face.

After that, I can only recall some images and sounds.

I remember being dragged into a dark vehicle. I remember the taste of blood in my mouth; Chris' cries and Ofelia's pleads.

And I remember a pair of concerned blue eyes staring at me and a few strands of golden hair above my face. I don't think I could ever forget that. It marked me, especially in what was about to come.

 _ **[[ Hey! :D This is the first time I write a Fanfiction. I intend to write more chapters later, since I have all the story in my head. Comments, please! Romance is coming, just wait and see... ]]**_


	2. Chapter 2 - Know your Enemy

**Chapter 2** \- Know your Enemy

* * *

I opened my eyes and found myself lying alone in a bed. The room was dark, although I could see a small light under the door frame. My right eye and cheek were hurting and puffy. What the hell did happen? I couldn't stay here any longer, so I got up, walked to the door and opened it.

It was a huge shed, with high ceilings and lots of cars and people dressed in dark dirty clothes – the same people I saw shooting against the fortress. They were all busy fixing cars or talking to each other. Nobody seemed to have noticed me, so I took a step closer to see further and found more people, more cars and doors to other places.

Then, suddenly I saw Travis walking among the people, hurrying himself to one of the doors. My heart raced - I ran fast towards him and bumped awkwardly in a person along the way.

 _"_ _Alicia!_ _"_

The person I've just bumped was mom! I stopped when I heard her call and went to give her a relieved hug.

 _"_ _Mom, where are we?! Where_ _'_ _s everyone? What happened?_ _"_

 _"_ _Alicia, calm down. Chris was shot in the arm, but he_ _'_ _s alright now. Ofelia and Travis are with him. I don_ _'_ _t know everything, but I know Nick is in danger. Gosh! Look at your face_ _…"_

Touching lightly my own swollen cheek, I stepped closer and lowered my voice to her.

 _"_ _I saw Strand pushing Nick into that fortress. Mom_ _…_ _who are these people?_ _"_

 _"_ _What? Strand did that?_ _"_ , asked her, surprised. And then, she looked worried to the shed and touched my shoulders. _"_ _The leader is calling us for a meeting. I was on my way when you came to me._ _"_

 _"_ _Let_ _'_ _s go, Madison_ _"_ , said Daniel, coming towards our direction. _"_ _Alicia, you_ _'_ _d better stay here._ _"_

 _"_ _No way! I_ _'_ _m coming with you._ _"_

A strong middle-aged man came close to us, carrying a heavy rifle. He looked at me in a grumpy way and nodded to a door beside a huge cabinet. Mom and Daniel walked toward that direction and I followed them.

When we entered, there was a massive squared table in the center with about ten people sitting in heavy chairs around it. The room was dark; there was only a faint light coming from some old candlesticks on the walls. At the table, we could see only papers and maps.

And, standing at the end of the table, there was a blonde woman staring at us. She might've been two or three years older than me. I couldn't see her features well; the darkness was all over her.

 _"_ _Sit down, please._ _"_

She said. There, that accent again. Where was it from? Australia?

I saw mom and Daniel doing as she demanded, managing to sit down next to the others at the table. I had no intention of sitting, though – instead, I crossed my arms and remained still.

 _"_ _Who are you?_ _"_ , I asked.

Mom looked at me with disaprove in her eyes.

 _"_ _Alicia, sit down. Now"_ , she quickly whispered.

 _"_ _So, the name_ _'_ _s Alicia_ _"_ , said the woman. She walked slowly towards me until she finally stopped. _"_ _Interesting._ _"_

I was taller than her by an inch. Now, much closer, I could see her features. She was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of dark jeans. She had golden wavy hair and her eyes were as blue as a deep ocean. I could swear she had been noticing me too, as our eyes met.

 _"_ _I am sorry for what Noah did to your face_ _"_ , she said softly.

 _"_ _I've no idea who Noah is and I don't give a damn about why. What happened out there?_ _"_ _,_ I asked, impatiently.

 _"_ _We are looking for something inside that fortress. They don_ _'_ _t want to give it to us._ _"_

 _"_ _I don_ _'_ _t wanna fucking know about your war! My brother is inside that fortress and we will get him back._ _"_ , I was getting pissed, that's for sure.

She came closer to me, so close I could even feel her breath.

 _"_ _Watch out. I saved your life out there"_ , she said it in a low, but firm tone of voice.

 _"And why did you do that?"_ , I asked, coldly.

She didn't answer right away. Her eyes flickered to Daniel, mom and to all the others in the room. They were paying too much attention to our conversation, waiting anxiously for an answer.

 _"As far as I can see, the only way you and your family are able to find your brother is if we join forces_ _"_ , she said, stepping away from me.

Suddenly, everyone started talking at the same time.

 _"_ _What are you doing, Eliza? We don_ _'_ _t trust these people!_ _"_ , they shouted, raising their fingers, pointing at us; one of them even pushed me.

The blonde woman – Eliza - sat down in one of the chairs. She gently raised one hand and the room went quiet again.

 _"_ _I don_ _'_ _t want to know about your complaints_ _"_ , she said sternly, looking at every man in the room. _"_ _Whoever questions my decision is free to leave us. I won_ _'_ _t say it again._ _"_

Nobody said anything. I wondered who was that woman and how she acquired such power. After a long minute, she looked at me, Mom and Daniel.

 _"_ _I suppose we are your best chance to get the boy back, since we are going to the same direction. Of course, nothing is for free_ _"_ _._

After a pause, she continued.

 _"_ _I want you to help us with our plan and achieve our goal through that fortress. In exchange, we'll give you shelter, meals and a bed to sleep. And, of course, your brother"_ , she said, looking at me.

 _"_ _How do we know we can trust you?_ _"_ , asked mom. Daniel remained quiet. I guess I know what he was thinking; he had no reason to risk his - and Ofelia's life - to save Nick.

 _"_ _How do we know we can trust you?_ _"_ , Eliza returned the question with a smirk. _"_ _We don_ _'_ _t know who you are either. We only know that we have the same interest: to enter that fortress and recover something or someone back_ _…"_

Mom seemed to think for a moment.

 _"_ _Ok. I guess we don_ _'_ _t have much choice here._ _"_

Eliza got up from her chair. All the men in the room did the same. One in specific came to our side and opened the door.

 _"_ _Good, then we have a deal. Let the others know we have guests_ _"_ , she walked towards us, near the door. _"_ _I suppose we weren_ _'_ _t quite well introduced. My name is Eliza Lex._ _"_

Mom and Daniel introduced themselves as well. I said nothing.

 _"_ _Lewis will give you instructions. He_ _'_ _ll show you everything you have to know about this place and how it works._ _"_

And, by saying that, she left the room with all the men by her side, besides Lewis, of course, who stayed to give us our instructions.

•••

We were given our schedules. This huge shed was called "The Lair", and it was filled with people coming from all places, professionals with so many different specialties; The Lair could practically be considered a small town. We were separated and located in different sections: mom and Ofelia were supposed to attend the wounded soldiers at Section-B; Travis went to Section-F, where cars were fixed; Daniel and I were assigned to train with the soldiers and Chris stayed at the infirmary to heal his wounds.

At first, mom didn't agree with my assignment in the guerrilla training, but she couldn't fight against that – Eliza was very unflexible and didn't allow any changes.

I had to wake up every morning, when the sun had not even come up yet, to attend breakfast with all the soldiers. We all wore the same clothes, a black dirty soldiers' uniform with dark boots. Breakfast was served in an immense room with steel walls and three large rectangular wooden tables at the center, where people seated to have their meals. There were men and women from ages ranging from seventeen to fifty. Eliza was sitting on the edge of one of the tables when I arrived on the first day; I chose a chair between two heavy bearded men, about two meters from her. Daniel hadn't arrived yet. The men looked astonished and laughed to the other guys. One of them hit his own plate and shouted.

 _"_ _Look at this! We have a new pet. Ha!_ _"_

I pretended not to hear anything, but it became difficult when they all started to laugh at me, at the same time. I was getting pissed, not to mention ashamed. But, ashamed of what? Who were they to say anything about me? Before thinking, I got up, took my knife and pointed it to the guy's throat, holding his collar with my tight fist.

 _"_ _Say that again and I_ _'_ _ll make you choke on your own words_ _"_ I said, clearly, so everyone could hear me. He was startled; his eyes fixed on mine. The room went quiet and then the guy sharply moved his arms, taking my knife and grabbing me tightly against him, pointing the blade to my throat.

 _"_ _Enough_ _"_ , a female voice said. It was Eliza, from the edge of the table. _"_ _Let her go._ _"_

The guy let go of me after a while. He was frustrated, I could tell, and so was I. My blood was racing so much; I could feel it all in my cheeks. I grabbed my knife and returned to my plate, as if I could eat anything, for God's sake. Soon, they all started speaking to each other again, filling the room with voices and laughter, as if nothing had happened.

 _"_ _Don_ _'_ _t worry. You_ _'_ _ll have plenty of time to take your revenge against Rufus._ _"_

It was Eliza, slightly smiling at me. I looked at her, flustered, and then to the man, Rufus. He was laughing and talking about something else – it seemed like nothing had happened to him. I took my plate and filled it with soup, taking small sips at a time. Every now and then, I would glance at her and see her doing the same, even when she was talking to someone else. She barely ate; her hands were busy dealing with papers and maps.

After breakfast, I went to my training section. It was an enormous place, like everything else here. The floor was stiff and cold, like the walls. There were twenty dummies spreading over the place, various ropes hanging from the ceiling and a pool with dark water below the ropes. There was a closed chamber with guns and a big mirror to see inside. When I arrived, people already knew what to do: some went to the dummies, others to the ropes, others to the guns. I didn't see Daniel all day.

I went to the dummies, at first. There was a woman teaching how to punch and attack various vital points. I began my training there, went to my own dummy and hit it hard, imagining it was Rufus' face. I was attacking it so fiercely that I didn't see time passing by.

It was almost dinner time when a loud alarm rang. I didn't know what it meant, but everybody around me started running to the door, taking their knives and guns with them. It sounded scary enough for me to start running as well. When I finally got to the hall, I had to make my way through the people to see what was happening. Then, I finally saw what they were all staring at.

There was a corpse lying on the floor. I came closer to see who it was.

It was Daniel. And he wasn't infected.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Next week I'll publish a new chapter. I took the liberty of writing a slightly different Eliza Lex from all the Fanfictions I've read so far. Hope you enjoy it. :) Kisses!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Stay Together

**Chapter 3**

 _ **Stay together**_

A few people were at Daniel's burial, outside the shed. They glanced curiously when Travis picked up a shovel to make a hole on the ground. There was no coffin for Daniel; he had a large piece of cloth wrapped around his body. Ofelia was miserable; I held her hand and caressed her back, listened to her cries and tried to comfort her with warm words, although I knew there were no words that could mend again her broken heart.

After the burial, mom and Travis went to a meeting with Elyza, to investigate Daniel's death. I didn't go, I thought it was best to keep an eye on Ofelia, to help her to calm down. I did my best to stay calm myself, after all, the sight of having a murderer between us all was frightening.

Ofelia didn't want to talk much. She was in a kind of stupor and only nodded when I asked her any question. Eventually she fell asleep beside me.

Afterwards, I heard a knock on the door.

Slowly, I got up from the bed without making much noise. I opened the door, hoping to see mom or Travis.

Instead, it was Elyza standing at the threshold, gazing curiously at my confused expression to see her there.

 _"Would you care to walk with me, for a moment?",_ she asked, stepping aside from the door.

" _Ah… sure."_

I don't know why I hesitated. Maybe it was because I've never had the chance to talk to her after our umbrageous first meeting. I didn't know her well, only met her a few times in life. Despite the uneasy feeling over this sudden meeting, I carefully closed the door and followed her.

We both strolled side by side among the various people in the main hall. It was almost night, and the place was slightly less crowded than it was in the morning. Dinner time was about to come and many of the people was already going to the dining room. Elyza was quiet for several minutes, and all that quietness was getting on my nerves.

" _What did you say to my mother and Travis, earlier at the meeting?"_

It was the first thing I'd thought about. She didn't look at me when she answered.

" _I'm afraid we don't know who killed your friend. No one saw him since last night. Wasn't he supposed to be with you at the training section?"_

" _Yes. I've noticed he didn't come to breakfast. I waited for him to show up at the training section, but the alarms showed me where he truly was…"_

An uneasy silence has fallen over us until I broke it again.

" _Who are you, Elyza? What is this place? And… why did you come to my room?"_

I looked around us. We were in a small garden. It was a place outdoors with old countertops filled with all sorts of plants and flowers in different kinds of vases. There was a frayed coffee table at the center and two old white chairs around it. Elyza gave me a small smile; she took my hand in hers and shook it lightly.

" _G'day, Alicia. I'm Elyza, and this is where I live. We call it 'The Lair'",_ she said with a playful smile, still shaking my hand.

I couldn't hide my own smile at her sudden joke.

" _Well, at least you've answered one of the things I've asked, indirectly."_

" _And what was that?"_ she asked with raised eyebrows.

" _You're an Aussie",_ I said, simply.

Elyza looked at me with a stunned expression. Then, she gave me the most infectious laugh I've ever heard; the sound amused me in such a way that I laughed hard as well. I didn't know what had happened; in a moment we were silent and almost awkward with each other, and in another we burst out laughing when I said something so simple. After a while, our laugh ceased and she sat on one of the chairs, crossing her legs.

 _"Is that so obvious, huh?"_ she asked, still smiling broadly at me.

 _"Uh... what?"_

I forgot what we were talking about before; her sudden change of behaviour messed up my mind; somehow, it was confusing and amusing at the same time. Elyza tilted her head a little and raised an eyebrow.

 _"My accent..."_

 _"Yes! Of course,"_ I said hurriedly, still breathless from the laughter. I sat on the other chair, looking at all the flowers on the countertops. _"How did you end up being a leader in this place?"_

Elyza stopped giggling and went serious again, although her eyes were still smiling at me.

 _"It's a long story."_

 _"Come on. It's not like I have something else to do",_ I insisted with a smirk.

Elyza gave me a small smile and seemed to think about it. She looked above, at the sky, and so did I. It was already dark and full of shining stars.

 _"It's getting late,"_ she sighed and began to walk towards the door, where she stopped and turned around to look at me. _"It was a pleasure, Alicia."_

I stood up as well.

 _"Good night, Commander."_

She glimpsed at me once and closed the door. After she was gone, I sat again, feeling a little disappointed for her departure. I couldn't remember when was the last time I had laughed like that, feeling such easiness with someone. I wondered why she asked me to walk with her and how she escaped from my serious questions. Maybe she was fed up with all the daily seriousness and, like me, felt lonely in this crowded place.

I left the garden and went to the dining room. Mom and Travis were there, already sitting by the table, and when they saw me, I could sense an angrily relief in their faces.

 _"Alicia! Where were you?! God, we've been looking everywhere for you! You can't just vanish like that! Didn't' you see what happened to Daniel?!",_ mom was sounding desperate and tried hard not to raise her voice and call even more attention from the people beside us.

Strangely, I felt unsure and a little guilty. My encounter with Elyza gave me the best distraction I had in a long time and I couldn't allow mom to screw it up with her always misgiving and upholder behavior. I couldn't lie to her either, for I know she trusted me the same way I trusted her.

 _"Answer your mom, Alicia",_ said Travis.

 _"She was with me."_

It was Elyza, and she was standing by my side. She wasn't being playful as she was at the garden; her voice was powerful and her posture as solemn as a leader should be, I suppose. Mom raised from her chair and faced Elyza with a grave expression.

 _"Can I ask what was she doing with you?",_ she asked.

 _"Of course. I asked your daughter to join me for a walk. I showed her our essential facilities, since she is now training to join our army",_ Elyza's words were said with a careful respect, and she didn't look at me even for a second.

 _"You know what I think about this. She's too young to carry a gun and go fight for a cause she doesn't even know anything about!"_

Mom was almost shouting. Elyza stepped closer to her with a solemn expression.

 _"Our new time demands the ability to fight against the infected outside The Lair. She is no child anymore. You have to face it. Nonetheless, she isn't fighting for my cause. She's fighting for her brother."_

Mom swallowed and kept quiet. Travis got up and touched mom's arms, but didn't say a word.

Elyza stepped aside and gave me a quick glance until she looked again at mom and Travis. She was waiting for an answer, and when she got none, she left us. I saw her sitting at the end of the great table, far away from us. I tried to steal another glance from her, but it was like she was avoiding me; although I knew very well she was aware of my attempts to reach her. I got angry and sad at the same time, thinking of how much mom has overreacted about it all and then wondered why the hell Elyza wasn't looking at me.

I stayed quiet during the dinner. I looked down at my plate filled with a thin potato soup, which I ate slowly. Every now and then I glanced at Elyza and she looked back at me only for a second, returning her attention to another subject. I felt a knot in my throat and didn't know why.

Until I suddenly heard her laughter.

She was laughing hard at someone's else jokes and then I felt my heart burn like fire, wishing secretly, deep down my very heart, that I was the one who made her laugh like that. Shame on me, I thought. Why do I care about that? I barely know her. Still, it made me angry and confused. I looked at her again and saw her open smile and her brightening eyes; it was like all her detailed features shone. Wait, why am I staring at her? She saw me. OK, stop looking. Stop, Alicia!

I got up fast and my plate fell on the floor making a loud sound. Mom and Travis asked what was happening and I couldn't answer. I left the dining room without a word and went directly to my room. Ofelia was still there. I closed the door and sat beside her in the bed, touching with cold fingers my own burning cheeks.

What the hell was that? Something happened, although I couldn't say what. Why was I so nervous? I had to calm down, so I thought about Ofelia sleeping calmly and remembered how I forgot to bring her supper. I should go back to the dining room and fix something for her.

Before I could find strength to go back there, I heard a knock on the door. It was mom, and she entered the room without waiting for a response. For my relief, she brought a plate filled with soup for Ofelia. We wakened her up and helped her take all the sips she could, until she laid down again and slept deeply.

 _"What happened with you?",_ mom asked while she was covering Ofelia with a rough blanket. "You seemed lost over there."

 _"I don't know, mom",_ my heart was beating fast and I couldn't look at her. Elyza's smile was in my head now and it made my stomach lurch a little.

 _"That's ok, sweetie. You've been through a lot these past weeks, and I understand that. I'm sorry if I'm not being too supportive with you. Come here."_

She embraced me and caressed my hair the same way she used to do when I was a scary little girl, afraid of the darkness in my room. I smelled her sweet scent and it felt like going back home again.

••••

I woke up the next day a bit late for breakfast, so I had to skip this part and go directly to the training section.

As soon as I got there, Noah - the chief, who gives us what to do at this section, and also the guy who had punched me at my first day here - called me to join him and a few more to the fight training. We were separated in two horizontal lines, one facing each other; there was a thin boy in front of me, his features showed me he weren't more than thirteen. Noah cleared his throat and said:

 _"Listen to me. The person in front of you is your enemy now. I'll give you three minutes to fight and then, after that, the front line moves to the right and you'll have to fight to the next beside. And so it goes until I tell you all to stop. Am I being clear?"_

The front line was the boy's. I looked scared at the other men beside him and felt a weakness on my knees. How am I supposed to fight against all these men? I don't even know how to fight!

I wasn't prepared for any of that. _Shit, shit, shit!_ I looked for the exit door, but it was too late. Noah blew his whistle and the fight began.

My blood ran fast through my heart, making it beat hard; I looked at the boy and for a glimpse I thought he would attack me - luckily, he was as frightened as I was. He didn't move when we heard the whistle. He was paralyzed and I had no courage to do something against him. We gazed hard at each other and didn't say a word. Noah blew his whistle again and the boy moved to the next person. In front of me, now, was a tall red haired woman.

And she had a psycho smile in her face.

The next thing I saw was her fist coming towards my face; I fell to the ground and she came above me, punching me with raw violence as I jerked my arms to dismiss her punches. She grabbed my hair and shoved my head to the floor even when I tried hard to pound her with my fists. I couldn't reach her; she was too big and too powerful. I was losing my own conscience after all the pain she was causing me, feeling the salt from my sweat and the iron taste of blood coming to my mouth as I screamed more and more…

" _Where's the Commander now to protect you, huh?!",_ she said at some point, thrilling me with more anger.

Then, somehow I found a gap and used it against her, as my anger was growing up considerably, forcing a blow right in her nose: she jerked her head and fell by my side; I jumped on her waist and pummeled her nose even more, in spite of her screams and attempts to make me release her.

I didn't hear when Noah ordered everybody to stop. Somebody took my arms and lifted me up carelessly, doing the same to the girl. I scarcely felt pain, since my feverish blood ran fast through my veins. I could sense some parts of my face burning like fire, though. When I finally was able to take my eyes off the girl, I looked around and saw many faces peering over me - their expressions told me how much I've must looked awful.

" _Hey. Hey!",_ Noah abruptly shook my shoulders. "Listen to me, pretty girl. As soon as you listen the damn whistle, you must stop. Do you hear me?! Huh?!"

" _Get off me, you sucker!",_ I yelled and punched hard his stomach. His face showed me how much in trouble I was.

" _What the...?! What did you call me? You're gonna pay for that"_ , he pulled my arm and dragged me out of the training section, in spite of my attempts to run.

I must have done quite a scandal while Noah was dragging me throughout the corridors; many people stopped what they were doing to see the show. He violently pushed me towards a heavy wooden door. There was three men stopped in front of it, with their arms crossed. One of them smirked as soon as he saw me.

" _Come on, Noah. Again? It's the fourth time only this month! I bet my life on how Commander Elyza will punish you instead of this little rabbit of yours."_

" _Shut up, Frank. I wanna see her. Now!",_ he ordered, still pressing my arm, which caused a massive pain through my bones. I tried to get up and only was able to kneel. I began to yell once again:

" _I didn't do anything! He ordered me to fight, and it was wha-"_

" _Shut up, girl! I ain't talking to you. Frank, open this damn door!",_ Noah interrupted me and pointed at the door.

" _All right, all right. Calm down, man, I was just warning you. Here."_

Frank finally opened the door. Noah stomped towards the room, pushing me beside him. I couldn't stand up. My arm was swelling with his grip, not to mention the pain through my bones and muscles.

Then, I saw her. Elyza was standing behind a small desk. All the three men entered the room beside me and Noah and joined Elyza's side. I noticed a flickering light in her eyes, although her expression was motionless and didn't reveal anything else.

" _Explain this, Noah",_ her voice was cold, unabashed.

Noah almost spat his words; his anger was noticeable:

" _This little prick over here refused to stop fighting and almost killed her colleague. When I tried to intervene, she yelled and punched me! Now, I don't tolerate this kind of behavior in my class, Commander."_

Elyza gave me a lingering look. Her blue frosting eyes surveyed his once again.

" _What puzzles me, Noah, is the fact that you always want your trainees to fight. And when they actually do that, you bring them here, telling that they have disobeyed you…"_

" _But they have! And this little prick over here even punched me! How can I show them authority if they can punch and yell at me?!",_ Noah's face was dull. His grip in my arm had tightened as well.

" _What I see -",_ Elyza raised her hand for him to stop, before she continued _. "What I see here, Noah, is that you don't have tolerance. And this is something absolutely necessary for a teacher to have. Instead of coming here for me to fix your problems, you should stop whining and fix for your own. Let her go, Noah. And go back to your class before I change my mind."_

The three men beside Elyza started to giggle after she finished. I raised my head to look at her, despite the pain in my face.

" _Whining?! You're mocking me?! She should be banished! She's here for… for what? Only a couple of days! I can't believe this. You know what, Elyza?",_ Noah shrieked for a moment and then stepped in front of her, pointing a finger. His voice lowered a bit, as if he was trying hard to control his tone _. "You can keep this brat of yours. I know very well that she wouldn't mind to stay beneath you in your friggin' bed!"_

Elyza violently pushed him to the wall, pressing her elbow on his throat, making it impossible for him to talk. It was the first time I saw her that way, shaking with anger.

" _What is it, Noah? Have you lost your voice?"_ , she said, still pressing him against the cold wall. _"I'll speak for you, then, if you don't mind. You are to leave here. You don't belong in this place anymore, and if I see you wandering outside The Lair, I'll have the pleasure to kill you."_

I gaped at her final words. She released the grip and pushed him towards the three men. Noah looked hurt, and not only physically. Had I known him better, I'd say I saw he blink two or three times his tears back.

" _You're gonna regret this. Do you hear me?! It won't stay that way!",_ the three men took his arms and carried him to outside the room, until Elyza and I were alone. I could still hear his cries, even though the door was closed.

" _Elyza…",_ I began talking, rather weak.

" _Come with me",_ she said, taking my hand and helping me up to my feet. I felt so much pain, that I needed her help to keep straight on the floor. She put one arm on the back of my waist and held my own arm around her neck. We've never been so close, I thought. Her hands were warm and soft. Although all my bones were in pain, I was rather calm - and then I've noticed it was because of her. I didn't know why, especially after seeing her almost killing a man in front of me, but I couldn't stop feeling this peaceful mood around her.

She propped me slowly through the corridors until we were in front of a plain black door, which she opened and helped me to get inside. It was a large room backlighted only by three huge windows covered with some dusty velvet curtains. There were lots of cardboard boxes in the corners, a leather couch near one of the windows, a small pile of books on a wooden table, a big closet and a queen size bed in the heart of the room.

Elyza helped me to sit on her bed, since it was nearer than the couch. She rapidly picked up a jug full of water, a washbowl and some clean rags; she filled the bowl with a bit of water and came to sit by my side.

" _OK, let's clean this up",_ she wetted a piece of cloth using the water in the jug and beckoned me to come closer. At first, she carefully nudged my cheek with the cloth and I flinched a little bit at the sudden pain.

" _Keep still. It won't take too long, I promise",_ she said, patiently.

" _Why are you doing that? There's an infirmary here, if I can recall",_ I asked, trying not to sound too ungrateful.

Elyza smirked while she returned the cloth to the washbowl, cleaning it. The water inside became red with my blood. She twisted the cloth and nudged my brow this time.

" _If I can recall, you've made quite an amount of enemies here. Noah has more friends than you can realize. Until I can clean this mess, it's better for you to stay safe, Alicia."_

I wondered if she protected this way every person in here. I didn't dare to ask, though. I just kept looking at her, feeling her soft touch in my bruised skin. At this close range I was able to survey all her features, noticing new things, such as a tiny old scar in her chin, a hint of green mixed with the bright blue of her eyes, the smoothness of her lips…

I didn't notice when her hand stopped nudging and remained still on my skin. Then, I realized how her eyes were gazing intensely at me. I felt a thrill growing up inside my heart, which was pounding fast. Her hand softly caressed my forehead and when her lips parted a bit, I held my breath and just heard my heart hammering inside my chest.

" _Is there any other wound I can take care of?",_ she suddenly asked, startling me off my state of trance. I regarded her, still reeling from the thrilling sensations, then I shifted in my seat to stay farther from her, since I didn't want her to notice my odd demeanor. It's not the time to think about it, though - I'm sure later I'll have plenty of time to figure out what happened here.

" _I… um… I don't really know…",_ I stammered and hated myself for it. Why on Earth was I acting like that? It's not like I've never talked to her before!

" _Come on, Alicia. You don't want me to search for you, do you?",_ she nervously laughed while twisting the bloody cloth one more time.

 _Actually, yes..._

Wait, what? No! I wanted more than anything to run as fast as I could - although there was a treacherous part of me that really wanted to stay near her. Without knowing what to do, I stayed quiet and fixed my attention to my hands in my lap, as if they were totally new for me. Elyza sensed my shift of behavior and came closer - my nervousness had increased at the thought that she had foreseen my demeanor and realized the reason why I was acting that way, even though I was the last person to know it.

She took my hands and my heart began to pound violently in my chest again. Then, unexpectedly, she lifted my arms and peered at my torso, finding there a blood puddle right in my left rib, letting my black soldier uniform soaking wet. I flinched and moaned at the abrupt move; Elyza helped me to take off the heavy jacket, shoving it to the floor. When she motioned to help me to take off my white tank top, I was too embarrassed. She stopped, gazing into my eyes, and I could see all my nervousness mirrored in her: she was blushing. _Damn_ , she was as abashed as I was!

A selfish thought came to me. Somehow, I didn't want to be alone in that odd-freaking-out-kind-of-feeling. I wanted to see more if I caused the same weird effect on her, even though I was pretty nervous myself. So, acting as bravely as I could, I took off my tank top and tossed it on the floor, remaining only with my black laced bra. As I so fiercely hoped, Elyza was stunned and her expression gave away how much flustered she was. Her eyes strolled throughout my torso, which made me even more anxious and terribly excited, and when she gazed me, I saw a flickering sheen in her eyes. Was it desire? Or something I was only imagining to see? Imagination or not, the atmosphere in the room was hotter than it was before…

A knock on the door made both of us jump. We smiled at each other, rather embarrassed, before the door was opened - it was my mother, and she stomped inside Elyza's room. Behind her, I saw Ofelia, Travis and even Chris coming closer as well. The latter was using crutches and a cast on his left leg.

" _Alicia! Are you alright?!",_ mom asked, worried as death.

" _Mom!",_ I exclaimed, searching for my tank top to cover my body. Elyza stood up and twisted once again her cloth full of blood.

" _Why are you here? You should be at the infirmary taking care of your wounds!",_ Travis added, searching for mom's shoulders.

" _What do you want with my daughter?! I told you to that she must have stayed by my side, and not in that section with that bunch of brutes! She's just a girl!",_ mom yelled at Elyza and tried to escape from Travis' hands.

" _Mom, stop! Elyza was helping me. She has already punished the -"_

" _Enough, Alicia! We're leaving this place",_ mom reached me and grabbed my arm, dragging me in spite of my cries.

" _What?! No! You have to listen to me!",_ I yelled, trying to get out of her grip.

" _You know it isn't safe out there. You're making a huge mistake",_ Elyza came towards my mother, trying to help me to stand up.

" _Take your hands off her! Look what your friends has done to my daughter. If you touch her once again, I'm gonna make you pay",_ mom was shouting out loud. I've never seen her like that before; Travis was trying to hold on her while Chris was only watching. Ofelia took several steps and tried to help me to wear my tank top again, but I didn't had the nerves to do that right away.

" _Listen to me. Let's just calm down and try to talk!",_ Elyza was losing her nerves; her hands were shaking despite her attempts to make herself look controlled.

" _You were using her! You've put her in that class only to make this happen, so you could take advantage of her!",_ I froze at my mother's words; the anger and shame suffocating me. How could she think like that?

" _Madison, let's go now!",_ Travis grabbed my mother's arms and pulled her out of the room; Ofelia fiercely propped me at the same time and forced me to go out as well.

There were many people gazing curiously at us. When Travis asked them to open the front gates for us to leave, half a dozen men obstructed the passage way.

" _We've heard all your show from here",_ one of them said, munching a raw potato. _"And I was quite impressed on how our beloved Commander let you talk to her like that. Tell me, tell me. Is your daughter a sorcerer of some kind? I want to know how she won our Commander's frozen heart."_

All of them began to laugh louder than pigs. I was still trying to get back to Elyza, but I couldn't, for now not only Ofelia, but Chris and Travis was holding me too.

" _Get out of our way. We just want to leave",_ Travis said, raising his arms.

" _You see, that's the main problem here. If we open that gate at this hour",_ a bald man started to say, peering at his wrist watch. _"I can bet my own mother that a bunch of infected will try to enter and eat us all."_

" _The hell with that! Open this damn door!",_ it was Chris, this time. He looked anxious and I wondered why, after all, I hadn't see him for a while.

" _Hey, just chill, alright, baby? We have nothing to do with your family. But those gates over there? That's beyond your reach",_ the bald man munched his final piece of raw potato, pointing at the gates.

" _Let them go! Open the gates!",_ some woman behind us yelled, all of a sudden.

" _It's better if they leave! It means more food for us!",_ I heard someone else's cries.

The tense discussion was suddenly converted into a raging commotion when some of The Lair people started to yell to open the gates for us. It was a mess. I didn't know how, but all at once, almost fifty people emerged from nowhere and caused a massive turmoil around us. Many of them started to thrust those who were securing the gates; others tried to contain the mass with violence, punching and beating them with their fists or pipes taken from the ground. I was being pushed and jerked, almost smothered in that chaotic scenery; Travis was knocked down at some point, mom was stifled, trying to reach him, and I saw Chris beating that bald guy with his crutches. I lost Ofelia's sigh and hoped that she hadn't been trampled down.

Then, all of a sudden, we all heard a loud and powerful gunshot. One, two, three shots was enough for everyone to stop what they were doing: the crowd was curiously silenced.

" _Enough! No one is leaving until we check the conditions outside. Go back to your duties now, and if there's someone who has a problem with me, I want this person to present in front of me. Now!"_

I searched for the source of the forceful voice coming above us and saw Elyza standing up on an old container, holding a rifle in both hands. There were fifteen men spread beside her, all of them holding guns as well.

No one had the guts to take a step and give in. I saw the men who were teasing her before, and they had their heads down - not so brave now, huh?

" _That's what I thought. And as for the newcomers, I want you to follow me"_ , she said, jumping down the high container and walking towards a distant narrow door. Three of her men followed her, and the remaining others started yelling to the crowd to return to their routine.

I didn't see Chris, Ofelia, Travis or my mom, at first. The mass slowly began their way back to their routine as I crossed the big hall, limping and making a huge effort to reach that distant door. When most people were gone, mom came and helped me to walk properly until all the five of us were together.

As we opened the door, we saw an extended empty room filled with the largest windows I've ever seen in my life. The moon was shining through the glasses, showing the perfect clean night sky. There were lots of broken buildings outside, almost hidden inside the darkness.

What called our attention was the streets, though. They were filled with infected wandering; I couldn't count, for there must have been at least a thousand of them. Elyza and her three men were standing in front of the only object in the room: a large metal box with a golden lock.

" _New infected comes every day and circles The Lair. After a while, we've noticed that there are only a few of them in the morning, and that's when we usually go out. Do you understand why you can't go outside right now?",_ Elyza leaned against one window and crossed her arms.

Everyone was rather calm and, because of that, we were able to listen to her without interrupting. After a moment, Travis crossed the room, looking all the way throughout the windows.

" _My God… we are surrounded by them. How can you be so easy about that?",_ he said with a heavy tone of concern.

" _I am not. That's why we have created this"_ , Elyza pointed to the metal box and one of the men knelt down, unlocking it with a tarnished key. A second later, he opened the box and removed a machine from inside, placing it on top of the box.

We all came closer to get a better view of it. It was like a modern printer, but with a neon visor indicating four numbers in red - all zeros. There was a panel with some numbered buttons and lots of cables connecting to a heavy battery. On top of the machine, we could see a tube with a purple liquid inside.

" _This is a KWT-962, small size. We are planning to take this beauty to the central city fortress, explode that damn wall, recover your son and then make ourselves comfortable at our new home",_ Elyza gazed at everybody's eyes, except for mine.

" _So you're saying that all this effort is for you to have a new place to stay?",_ asked Travis, incredulous. I gazed at mom and her brow was as furrowed as my own.

" _I'm not saying that. I have something important inside that house, and that's why I want to go there. Plus, it's a matter of time until those infected outside find a way to get in here",_ Elyza explained, coming closer to us. She glanced at the windows and returned her attention to mom and Travis.

" _This is why the melee and gunshot training are relevant to all of us. Nowadays, we need to secure our safety. Look outside, Madison, and you'll see the reason why your daughter was learning how to fight",_ she crossed her arms and looked sternly at my mom.

" _She's right. We need to know how to defend ourselves!",_ Chris exclaimed, raising his fist. Travis interrupted him saying something about he's being too young, but I was only paying attention in Elyza, thinking of how much she was trying to convince us to stay. As if mom was listening my thoughts, she spoke for the first time what I was wondering.

" _Why?",_ she asked in a low voice. _"Why do you want us to stay?"_

Elyza glanced at me before starting to answer.

" _Ofelia has been helping us to develop smoke bombs. Chris and Alicia can learn how to shoot and fight. Travis has been fixing our technical issues. And you are at the infirmary aiding our people. Everyone here has its own value. In a month, we'll be out of here."_

" _If we stay, I want some changes",_ mom approached Elyza and pointed a finger. _"I want my son back. And I don't want to lose my daughter. I want her safe. That means she's going to be at the infirmary with me."_

Me, at the infirmary? Why does she think she can control me like that?

" _Mom! Haven't you heard her? We need to know how to defend ourselves_!", I yelled and grabbed her arm, pushing her to look at me.

" _I'd like to let you know that I've expelled the training tutor who used to have harsh manners with his pupils. He's no longer here anymore",_ Elyza said evenly. _"I was aiding Alicia in my room because I know he would try to take his revenge on her."_

Mom furrowed her brow and touched her own forehead, stepping aside from us. She looked drained.

" _Alright. But if anything happens to her, or Chris…"_

" _Don't worry. Alicia is in good hands now",_ Elyza gave me a tiny smile, which made my own cheeks burn. I looked to the windows to try to hide my silly smile.

" _Madison, come on. You need some rest now. We all need"_ , Travis took mom's hand and pushed her to follow him, which surprisingly she did, not without asking me first if I'd come too. I assured her I'd go in a moment. After that, Ofelia and Chris were gone as well.

" _Go and check on Noah's friends. I don't want another riot here, even though I'm sure things are calmer now"_ , Elyza raised a hand and her three bodyguard were gone, letting us both alone. When the door was closed, I breathed heavily and looked at her.

" _I… I want to thank you for helping me. And… I'm sorry for what mom has said before. She's overprotective sometimes"_ , I stammered a bit but was glad to finish my sentence before getting too flustered.

Elyza beamed and came closer, which didn't help my nervousness. Her eyes were warm and shining at the moon light.

" _That's ok... I'm glad you've stayed",_ she replied, stopping inches from me. I smiled shyly when I realized how much close we were. I could even sense her breath upon my lips, bringing to surface deep feelings that my heart, even now, was still trying to hide. My own lips tingled with the proximity, and I noticed she was gazing my mouth with the same intensity. She reached my hand and slightly touched it with her fingertips.

A sudden explosion of glass startled us; the huge windows were being broken by incoming infected hanging on the parapet: there were more than ten of them climbing the windows and fighting to pass through the recent holes on the glass. Some of them were even knocking their own heads to break into!

Elyza quickly stepped in front of me in a protective way. The time ran fast while the first infected fell onto the floor, crawling towards us, mumbling intelligible words. We looked at the door at the same time as more than twenty of them appeared climbing the windows. Those who finally was able to stand ran amuck towards us; we gazed each other without saying a word, yet our thoughts were mutual: we either lock the iron door or everyone inside The Lair will die.

Elyza just had time to lock the door - we were trapped inside that grand room with nothing else except a massive bomb and more than twenty infected coming from the windows.

" _Stay with me",_ she whispered.

Feeling her warmth, I swallowed hard the dread burning inside my heart. Somehow, I knew she would protect me.

" _If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, stay together"_ , she said, taking my hand and lacing our fingers, waiting for them to come.


End file.
